Hopeless
by Buddha Wolf
Summary: Wesker is driven insane by the loss of his wife, unable to accept her death. After getting this idea in his head that if he can find a cure for her illness, she will come back, he begins lashing out at Jake to make his idea a reality. Jake hides the abuse from Sherry, wanting to protect her from his Father's broken state. This is an AU where the characters are normal people.
1. It Begins

Jake blinked his eyes open, sleep still weighing heavily upon them, a crack of light slipping under his eyes lids. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table, wondering the time. 2:03 am. His heart dropped, his body tensed, a chill crawled up his spine. He turned his head ever so slightly, his eyes meeting a toothy smile and red eyes that burned fiercely in the darkness left behind him. Before he could react, gloved hands reached out and grabbed him, dragging him out of the safety and warmth of his bed. He tried to pull away, protesting and pleading for his release. But the man just ignored his cries, continuing to drag his son down to his lab just as he's done every night this week. Just like every morning, he made sure to wear long sleeves, covering the fresh bruises and the needle marks that decorated his arms and a jacket with a collar to cover the ones on his neck. His gloves helped hide his swollen wrists, evidence of his attempts to escape his bindings. He looked into the mirror, noticing the dark rings that had formed under his tired eyes. His skin seemed a bit pale, making the scar on his left cheek more noticeable than usual. He was disgusted with himself. He was a coward, too afraid to fight back. He sighed. But what was he to do? He looked at himself once more before heading out of the house to the nearest bus stop to meet up with Sherry. His mind wandered to the past. It didn't use to be like this. When he was a kid, he lived a happy life. Always smiling. Laughing. His family was happy together. But then his mother got sick and the doctor's couldn't help her. She passed away and his father seemed to become distant. As time went on and Jake grew older, him and his father got into fights all the time, but it was mostly just yelling and arguing. Then they ignored each other for a long time, barely speaking a word then suddenly, out of the blue, his father became violent. Showing up in the middle of the night with the devil's smile and dragging Jake down to his lab, torturing him, saying it was in the name of medical science. He couldn't figure out what made him snap. Jake was called out of his thoughts when he heard Sherry's voice. He looked up to see her sitting on the bus stop bench, waving him over. He smiled and jogged over to her. A few moments later the public bus came and they got on, riding it into town to the mall. Jake wandered around, following Sherry from store to store, looking at everything. He waited patiently as she tried some clothes on and showed them to him, asking his opinion. He just nodded, saying it looked good. His mind still thinking back to the night before. He shook his head trying to push the thoughts away. They continued their little shopping spree for a little while longer before heading back home. As they approached the bus stop, Jake checked his phone for the time, realizing how late it had gotten. He grew uneasy, fearing his return home. Sherry seemed to notice how tense he had gotten "What's wrong?" Her voice was woven with concern. Jake just looked at her, putting on the best smile he could muster, not wishing to worry her "Nothing." She looked him in the eyes and sighed "If something is wrong, you know you can tell me Jake." She placed a caring hand on his shoulder, he flinch slightly, hoping she didn't notice any of the marks. "It's nothing." He shook his head and smiled down at her "You worry too much." He patted her on the head. After they parted at the bus stop, Jake continued to wander the streets until an hour after the sun had set. Jake slowly entered his house, his eyes on the look out for his father. All the lights were off except for one in the kitchen. He silently crept to it's golden sanctuary, looking around. He could tell his father had recently been cleaning, the place was spotless. The dishes stacked neatly in the dry rack. He leaned around the corner and peered down the hallway and saw a small crack of light creeping out from under Wesker's door. Jake turned out the light in the kitchen then retreated back to his room. Jake shucked his jacket off, tossing it on his dresser before crashing onto his bed. He stretched out, folding his arms behind his head, looking to make sure his door was shut and locked before giving in to sleep. 


	2. The Lab

"Jake." The voice sent a chill down his spine, evicting him from whatever dream he was in. He was afraid to open his eyes, hoping if he kept them shut, the nightmare standing beside him would go away. But that icy cold presence remained. He could feel those red eyes watching him, preying on him once more. The voice ordered his attention, speaking his name harshly "Jake." He reluctantly opened his eyes, afraid of the repercussions if he disobeyed. His father stood beside him, his usual dark smile was replaced with a stern expression. "Good. You're awake. Come with me." Jake was shaken by this sudden change in his father's approach. He pushed it off, crawling out of bed to follow his father. He led Jake down to his lab, beckoning the young man to follow after he stopped in the doorway. Jake's gaze flicked from the front door back to the lab. He could make his escape. Reach his freedom. But what if this time, it was different. What if... His mind was fuzzy with questions. "Jake!" His father's voice called his attention. Jake flinched, ducking at the sound of his voice as if it were going to cause him harm. When nothing happened, he looked around and saw his father standing beside him, a rather impatient expression etched on his face. Jake straightened up and did as he was told, following the steps down into the lab. When his bare feet touched the bottom step, he heard the door shut behind him. He looked back, Wesker's red eyes glowing in the dim light of the stairwell. That dark smile played on his lips once again, creeping across his features to a Cheshire grin. Jake backed away as his father descended the stairs, his gaze set upon the young man like a hungry lion does when it's found the perfect prey. He stumbled over his own feet, falling back into the cabinets that lined the wall opposite the stairs. Wesker reached out a gloved hand and seized his son by the back of the neck and steered him towards a spot beneath the steps. He shackled Jake's wrists and threw him to the ground. Jake felt the familiar pinch of the shackles against his skin. He gritted his teeth when he hit the cold concrete floor. The chain that linked him to the wall clattered together, each link gave off a shriek as it touched the others. The noise hurt his ears in the chillingly silent lab, drawing a gasp from his trembling lips. He curled up tightly against the wall as if he could tuck himself into non-existence. His father clicked his tongue "Fear not child. This is all for the sake of a better act yet to come." His father held himself in a way that resembled the vanity of a royal. He looked down upon Jake, eyes slitted like a viper's as he smiled once more before walking back to his desk with arrogant strides. He began to busy himself with placing small medical instruments on a silver tray along with empty glass viles and bottles of clear liquid that could fit in the palm of your hand. It wasn't long before Wesker was back at Jake's side, a small device in his hand that resembled that of a gun holding a vile of liquid, a needle protruding from the barrel. Jake flinched, his arms raised protectively in front of him as Wesker crouched to eye level. Jake looked into his father's eyes and for a moment, he could have sworn he saw regret or hurt flash across his features. He relaxed for a second, hope rising in him only to be ripped from him as his father snatched the chains up in one quick motion, yanking his arms above his head and sticking the needle deep into his neck, squeezing the trigger, forcing the liquid into his veins. Jake gasped and twisted out of his grip but Wesker just pulled tighter, shaking him roughly after removing the needle. Wesker released the chains and rose to his feet, that smile dancing upon his lips as the serum took affect. Jake felt as if he had just boarded a merry-go-round, the world whipped and whirled before his eyes in pops and explosions of color. He felt his stomach drop, bile rising in his throat, his chest was heaving as he felt like he was being suffocated. His heart thundered in his ears, washing out his father's voice. The lab began to melt out of his vision, turning into shadows and silhouettes, swaying and warped into a greater darkness. An icy chill seeped into his bones, nestling snug at his very core, neighboring the pitch black world he had been swept away into. Jake woke up in his bed as he did every morning. A metallic coppery taste coating his mouth. His throat was sore and swollen. He licked at his lips, trying to bring them back from their dried cracked state, blood lingering on his tongue, the inside of his lower lip was bitten raw. He tried to take a breath, falling into a coughing fit. He went to stand, going to search for a drink of water, hoping the cool liquid would sooth his throat but his legs refused to hold him, trembling with the first steps before dropping him to the floor. His joints were stiff, the skin around them was red and puffy. After a few trials and errors, he finally made it to the bathroom just in time to regurgitate the little bit left in his already empty, aching stomach. With a wavering breath, he leaned against the wall next to the toilet, resting his hands in his lap. He looked down, avoiding the sight of the porcelain fixture, hoping to at least keep the acid within his stomach. He noticed the red marks on his skin where the shackles had rubbed against, dark purple-ish black rings encircling his wrists. The faint echo of the rustling chains filled his ears, making him cringe. He shifted uneasily, his head and body ached with each movement. He sighed, slowly getting to his feet before making his way back to his bed in search of his phone. He sat on the edge of his bed as he dialed the number for his high school, calling in yet another missed day this week. 


	3. New Faces

Jake walked down the halls of the high school, following the massive crowd of fellow students as they flocked to the lecture hall for a meeting. Before crossing the threshold of the doors, a hand grabbed his sleeve and tugged for his attention. His eyes met Sherry's smiling face "I finally found you." She maneuvered through the packed doorway to his side. Jake smiled at her, an eyebrow raised in amusement as she still clung to his arm. She noticed his gesture and blushed "Oh, sorry." Releasing his arm , she pointed towards two open seats in the third row of the massive room. Jake nodded knowing how she liked to be up front at things like these. She seemed to be excited today, more so than usual. As they took their seats, Sherry pointed to a group of staff that had gathered in the front of the room with what looked like two police officers. One was an older man with short dark hair and a stern expression, beside him was a young man, a bit shorter than him. He looked to be not much older than them, he had short brown hair with a slight spike to the front. When the group departed, taking a stand along the wall, the two officers stood before the mass of chattering teenagers. The older man cleared his throat and the room fell silent. The man introduced himself as Captain Redfield. The young man beside him was First Lieutenant Nivans. They were there to inform the students of the consequences of breaking the law and to explain the sudden rise in criminals acts in the area involving alcohol or drug abuse. The lecture was relatively short. When they were dismissed, Sherry grabbed Jake's arm and pushed through the crowd of anxious students to get to the front of the room where the two officers were. Sherry called excitedly "Chris!" waving to him with her free hand. The man smiled at her "Sherry? I didn't know you went to school here." "Yeah. We do." She smiled up at him with admiration "This is Jake." She pulled on his arm so he'd introduce himself. "Hey." He looked down at Sherry, an eyebrow raised. Chris held out his hand and Jake took it hesitantly as they shook hands, Jake's sleeve slid up his arm exposing the bruising on his wrists. He hoped no one was paying attention as he shook his arm, making his sleeve fall back down. "I'm Chris. This is Piers." He gestured towards the young man beside him. The young man nodded his greeting. Jake stood by nervously as Sherry engaged Chris in a conversation about school and her duties on the student council and such. As they continued to speak, Jake had an eerie feeling spreading inside him that Chris was eyeing him. Studying him as if he were scrutinizing a criminal. Taking note of everything from posture to behavior. Jake averted his eyes, looking down at Sherry. "Excuse us but we need to get going. We need to get to class." Sherry checked her watch and gasped "Oh my god. We're gonna be late. I'm sorry." She looked up at Chris with embarrassment. Chris smiled "It's okay. We'll catch up another time." He smiled as did Piers as they parted. He walked inside the house, locking the door behind him. He dropped his backpack in the hallway by the stairs as he made his way to the kitchen, shuffling through the mail. He tossed the envelopes on the kitchen table, swiping an apple from the fruit bowl before crashing on the couch. He sighed, staring at the fruit in his hand, thinking about earlier in the afternoon. He could have sworn Chris had seen the marks. The man was perceptive, the look he gave Jake was one that told him he knew. He knew it all. He swallowed, his appetite had left him. He placed the apple on the coffee table as he got up, heading for the stairs. His thoughts were a jumbled mess. He sighed, stopping for a moment in the doorway that divided the living room from the hallway. He leaned against the door frame, a wave of nausea sweeping through him. He took a breath to calm himself, shaking his head slightly, hoping it would recede. An odd dizziness set upon him, making the room sway and rock as if he were on a boat being tossed about by clumsy waves. He let go, stumbling a bit then falling over as the world seemed to flip. He lied on his back, staring up at the ceiling with a dazed expression. He put a hand over his face and laid there, hoping in jut a few moments, he'll be feeling better. He released a deep breath and closed his eye, making the spinning in his head fade. Jake stared up into a pair of curious blue eyes surrounded by a halo of sun ray blonde hair that hung down like a curtain. He raised an eyebrow "Sherry, what are you doing?" Sherry sat up and smiled "Oh, um...well I knocked but no one answered. So I let myself in." "Okay. I meant what are you doing as in why are you staring at me?" He sat up, looking at her questioningly. "Oh well, I saw you were sleeping on the couch so I was going to go and come back later but then you started talking in your sleep." Jake felt a bit of panic rise in his chest as he asked "Did you hear any of it?" He hoped he wasn't mumbling about his father. Sherry gave him a small smile "Yeah. You said some things about your mom." "Oh." The panic vanished quickly replaced by a deep sorrow as thoughts of his mother danced through his mind to the beat of his heart. He remembered after she passed, he would dream of her and wake up to a tear stained pillow and the sound of his own sobs. She placed a hand over his "You really miss her a lot, don't you?" Jake nodded quietly, squeezing her hand "Yeah." "What happened to her?" Sherry asked, quickly adding "If you don't mind my asking." Jake released a slow sigh, speaking softly"She was sick. It got worse as time went on until there was nothing that could be done. The doctors couldn't save her." Sherry looked away "Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Jake shook his head, watching her "No. It's okay." Later that night Jake dragged himself up to his room and crashed on his bed, exhausted from the day's dealings. He tossed his backpack and his jacket in a corner, shrugged out of his shirt and kicked off his boots before stretching out lazily. He folded his arms behind his head stretching the muscles in his shoulder and back. He was about to give into blissful sleep when a thought ran across his mind. He wondered how he ended up on the couch before Sherry arrived. He also wondered how Sherry got in if he locked the door. As he pondered these thoughts he came to one simple and easy conclusion. His father. Jake had almost forgotten that Wesker was home. The house was so quiet and he hadn't seen a single sign of life all day until Sherry. He let out a long yawn before dragging himself out of the comfort of his bed to shut and lock his bedroom door. A habit he had begun to do every night but it was clear that it was to no avail. Wesker always seemed to get in anyway. It was more of a symbol of false security, an illusion decent enough to allow him what little bits of sleep he could muster. As he crawled back into bed, curling up beneath the covers into the warmth, his thoughts turned to the memories of his mother. With each fond remembrance it seemed to cradled him into a world from the past. It wasn't long before the sweet images that played out through his mind lulled him into a deep sleep. 


End file.
